The morning at the Black Bulls' hideout began as it always did: with an explosion. Specifically, Magna Swing's "Manly Fireball" had accidentally detonated a rack of Vanessa's vintage wine, leading to a localized hurricane of thread and flame that shook the foundations of the castle.I sat on the balcony of my tower, sipping a cup of high-grade tea I'd "purchased" from a 21st-century Tokyo cafe via the System Shop. The liquid was hot, aromatic, and perfectly calm—a stark contrast to the screaming match happening three floors below."Master, the Captain is calling for a 'meeting,'" Aether reported, his tiny form hovering over my tea steam. "He sounds... particularly constipated today. I suggest we attend before he decides to dismantle the West Wing.""Fine," I sighed, setting the porcelain cup down. I adjusted my blindfold, checking my status one last time.[Current Mana Output: Restricted to 0.5% (Pseudo-Vice-Captain Tier)]
[Status: Relaxed.]I didn't take the stairs. I simply stepped off the balcony, my body weightless as I drifted down the side of the castle and through an open window into the common room. I landed silently right behind Noelle Silva, who was currently trying to ignore Asta's morning shadow-boxing."Morning, Princess," I whispered.Noelle jumped nearly a foot into the air, a globule of water inadvertently manifesting and splashing across my shoulder. "D-Don't do that, you commoner! And don't call me Princess! I am Royalty!" Her face was already a deep shade of crimson, her fingers twisting the hem of her silver-lined robe."My bad. You just looked like you were in a world of your own," I teased, leaning against the wall. Through the Rikugan, I could see her heart rate spiking. She was already developing a "glitch" in her regal armor whenever I was around, though she'd sooner die than admit it."SHUT UP AND LISTEN!" Yami barked, slamming a mission scroll onto the table. "We've got a request from Sosshi Village. Apparently, some freak weather is freezing their crops, and the local guards are being turned into popsicles. Magna, you're from near there. Take the loud brat and the blindfold with you. And the Princess, too—she needs the fresh air.""YES, CAPTAIN!" Asta roared."I... I suppose I can grace this mission with my presence," Noelle huffed, though I could see the slight tremor in her hands. She still couldn't aim her magic, and a field mission was her greatest fear.We traveled to Sosshi via Finral's spatial magic, but the moment we stepped out of the portal, the atmosphere changed. This wasn't just "cold weather." The air was thick with a synthetic, metallic mana that tasted like copper and frost."This isn't Clover magic," I noted, my Rikuganscanning the white-out conditions."What are you talking about, Gojo? It's just ice!" Magna shouted, his fire-bat already out. "Hey! Villagers! We're the Black Bulls! Where's the—"Magna went silent. In the center of the village square, a massive pillar of black ice had been erected. Trapped inside were the village elders, their faces frozen in expressions of pure agony. Standing before the pillar was a man in high-tech, reinforced white armor—Heath Grice, but not as the anime remembered him. In Timeline-099, he carried a heavy, mana-conducting staff etched with the sigil of the Iron Duchy."Clover Knights," Heath sneered, his voice amplified by a mechanical filter. "You're late. The 'Evaluation' of this village's mana-soil is already complete. It's useless. Therefore, it must be erased.""You bastard!" Asta charged forward, but the ground beneath him instantly turned into frictionless black ice. He slipped, sliding toward a row of jagged frozen spears."Asta!" Noelle cried out, raising her wand. "Water Magic: Sea Dragon's—"The spell spiraled wildly, missing Heath by twenty feet and nearly hitting a frozen house."Pathetic," Heath sighed. He raised his staff, and a massive bird of black ice, thirty feet wide, materialized in the air. "Ice Magic: Absolute Zero Wing."The bird dove. Magna threw a flurry of fireballs, but they were snuffed out before they could even touch the frost. The sheer output was easily at the level of a Vice-Captain. Magna and Asta were about to be crushed."I guess I can't nap through this one," I muttered.I stepped forward. I didn't open my six-leaf grimoire. I didn't even draw the Tang Dao. I just raised my left hand and snapped my fingers.[Primordial Art: Red—Repulsion.]A point of infinite pressure formed in front of the ice bird. In an instant, the massive construct didn't just break; it reversed. The kinetic energy was redirected with 500% more force. The bird exploded into a billion harmless snow crystals that coated the village in a gentle white powder.The silence that followed was deafening.Magna stared at me, his mouth agape. Asta stopped sliding and just sat on the ice, blinking. Even Heath Grice staggered back, his staff's mana-sensors screaming."What... what was that?" Magna stammered. "Gojo... you didn't even use a grimoire.""I told you, I'm good at staying out of the way," I said, my voice cold. I turned toward Heath, who was frantically recalibrating his armor. "But you're making it really hard to enjoy the silence. Iron Duchy tech, right? You guys really need to work on your mana-purity. It's messy.""You... you're the System Failure!" Heath hissed, his eyes widening behind his visor. "The one from the Capital! Reports said you had zero mana!""Reports lie," I said.I moved. I didn't use space-jump; I just moved at a speed my restricted 0.5% output allowed—which was still faster than the eye could follow. I appeared inches from Heath. His automated shields flared to life, a dome of reinforced iron-ice.I pulled the Tang Dao an inch from its scabbard.Clink.The shockwave of the blade leaving the sheath shattered the dome instantly. I didn't strike him; I just tapped the flat of the blade against his chest.[Elemental Branch: Lightning—Neural Lock.]A microscopic jolt of electricity bypassed his armor and hit his central nervous system. Heath collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut, his staff clattering to the frozen ground."Vice-Captain tier, huh?" I mused, looking down at him. "A bit disappointing. I've had tougher fights with mountain goats in Hage.""GOJOOOO! THAT WAS AMAZING!" Asta scrambled up, jumping on my back. "What was that move?! Was it magic?! Or just really fast punching?!""It was a nap-interruption-deterrent, Asta," I said, shaking him off.I looked over at Noelle. She was standing perfectly still, her wand still raised. Her eyes were wide, fixed on me with a mixture of awe, terror, and something else she was trying desperately to hide."You..." she started, her voice trembling. "You've been hiding that this whole time? You're... you're stronger than my brothers. Why are you in the Black Bulls?!""Because Yami lets me sleep," I said, walking toward her. I reached out and gently tilted her chin up. "And because the Golden Dawn doesn't have a Silver-haired Princess who splashes me with water every morning. It'd be boring there."Noelle's face went from pale to a radioactive shade of pink. "I... I... YOU STUPID COMMONER! Don't touch me! I didn't ask for your help! I could have handled that! Probably!" She turned and sprinted toward the village elders, her cape fluttering, but I could see her heart-mana glowing with a frantic, happy warmth."Master," Aether whispered, appearing on my shoulder. "The 'Iron Duchy' signals are retreating. But your display was... loud. The Magic Knight Headquarters will have detected that mana flare.""Let them wonder," I said, sheathing the Tang Dao fully. "By the time they figure it out, the war will have already started. System, how many points for that 'cleanup'?"[Ding! Quest Complete: Save Sosshi Village.]
[Reward: High-Grade French Pastry Box (Infinite Supply), 0 Points (Balance remains ∞).]"Perfect," I smirked, reaching into the air and pulling out a warm croissant. "Magna! Asta! Stop staring and help the elders out of the ice. I've got breakfast."Magna walked over, looking at me with a newfound, heavy respect. "Gojo... I don't know who or what you are. But I'm glad you're a Bull. Just... don't tell the Captain I cried when that ice bird almost hit me, okay?""Your secret's safe with me, Magna. Just as long as you keep Asta from screaming for five minutes.""I CAN'T PROMISE THAT!" Asta yelled.I laughed, looking up at the gray sky. The "Cold War" was officially heating up. The Iron Duchy would send more. The Solar Empire would follow. But for now, in this little frozen village, we had won. And Noelle was currently "secretly" staring at me from behind a pillar, her face still beet-red.Yeah. Joining the Bulls was definitely the right choice.